Some will argue they look better, while others will say they choose them because they're cheaper to buy and rarely have anyone sitting in the back.

But for those who prefer the typically sleeker three-door hatchback over five-door models, the choice is rapidly shrinking as manufacturers cull them from their ranges.

The latest to swing the axe is Seat, which has dropped the svelte Seat Leon SC from showrooms with immediate effect, following suit with other car makers.

The best things don't come in threes: Seat is the latest brand to pull three-door models from its range, killing off the pretty - but not so practical - Leon SC

The Leon SC is the sportier version of the standard Leon hatchback, with coupe-like styling thanks to two fewer doors and a more sloped roofline.

It follows in a long line of stylish three-door hatchbacks and other styles of car, but while they might look more attractive than the more functional five-door variants, car simply don't want them anymore.

According to AutoCar, sales of three-door models have plunged in recent years, with motorists increasingly opting for more practical and versatile five-door versions, even when buying the smallest of cars on sale.

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Seat's owner, the VW Group has systematically been removing three-door cars from model line-ups in recent months, with the Leon SC being the latest victim of diminishing demand.

It follows the discontinuation of the three-door Mii city car, which cost around £1,000 less than the equivalent five-door version when it was available.

Audi has dropped three-door models from the A3 line-up, now offering just 'Sportback' five-door versions, while Volkswagen has pulled three-door Beetles, Polos, Ups and the Scirocco from sale as part of the strategy.

Seat has already dropped the three-door Mii from showrooms, with buyers preferring to pay extra for a five-door version

Audi currently only sells a five-door A3 Sportback, with the three-door A3 Hatchback culled from the range

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And while just three VW Group models - Audi A1, VW Golf and Skoka CitiGo - are offered with three doors at the moment, all will only be available with five doors when they are replaced by the next-generation.

The German marque isn't the only one culling three-door models.

Vauxhall has dropped the painfully unpopular GTC three-door Astra from showrooms, and Kia is due to add an extra two doors to the forthcoming Proceed when it is launched later this year.

Range Rover - which is due to sell a £240,000 SV Coupe from later this year, it's most expensive model ever - has also clipped the three-door Evoque from its line-up.

The painfully unpopular Vauxhall GTC - a three-door Astra - was discontinued a while ago

The three-door Range Rover Evoque - which was used heavily to market its stylish look when it was originally launched - has been been dropped, with buyers moving en masse for the less handsome, but more useful, five-door version

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